The sport of boating enjoys tremendous popularity. As the sport becomes even more popular, there is a concomitant increase in demand for boating accessories. For example, relatively small boats (e.g., up to about 10-25 feet in length), used in coastal and inland waters for fishing and other forms of recreation, typically carry an anchor for mooring the boat at a desired location.
Conventional anchors for mooring boats in lakes, coastal waters and inland waters having a depth of about 0 to about 20 feet and soft bottoms, such as mud or sand, are shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. They include mushroom anchors (FIG. 1A), grapnel anchors (FIG. 1B) and navy anchors (FIG. 1C). These anchors are typically attached to the boat with a rope or chain, such as a nylon rope. In use, after the boat is brought to a desired location, the anchor is lowered into the water on the rope until it reaches the bottom, and the rope is tugged at an angle to the bottom, causing the anchor to dig into the bottom and thereby "set", preventing the boat from drifting in the water.
Conventional anchors have several disadvantages. They are typically difficult to set properly, requiring the operator of the boat to attempt to set the anchor several times before succeeding, meanwhile allowing the boat to drift away from the desired mooring location (e.g., a school of fish). Moreover, the anchor may be dislodged from the bottom if the boat is moved by wind or current. When retrieved from the bottom of a body of water, conventional anchors typically carry mud, grass or other debris up with them, which is likely to be deposited in the boat. This is inconvenient in that the debris must be cleaned from the boat, and may cause damage to the boat or to items inside the boat. Furthermore, conventional anchors tend to be noisy when being deployed, thereby frightening away fish. Still further, conventional anchors are typically bulky and consequently difficult to store when not in use, thus taking up valuable space inside the boat.
There exists a need for a boat anchor that sets easily and remains set despite currents and winds. There exists a further need for a boat anchor that is convenient to store, and does not retain debris when retrieved.